Questions For Oral Answer - Tuesday, 22 May 2001

1. Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY to the Associate
Minister of Education (Tertiary Education): What specific
conditions has he imposed on universities with respect to
their funding for next year which led Vice-Chancellor Bryan
Gould to describe the Government's actions as "trying to,
one would almost say, blackmail the universities into
accepting this deal"?

2. RODNEY HIDE to the Minister of
Revenue: Will the Government consider honouring the stopped
Inland Revenue Department cheques giving taxpayers their
lawful GST refunds that are now to be cancelled by proposed
retrospective legislation; if not, why not?

3. MARK
PECK to the Minister of Finance: Has he received any more
suggestions for the Budget?

4. Hon MURRAY McCULLY to
the Attorney-General: Did counsel for the Prime Minister, Mr
Hugh Rennie QC, write to counsel for Mr John Yelash on 11
April in relation to defamation proceedings between those
parties, to "set out a proposal to settle this matter",
stating that his proposals had been "authorised" and that he
had "instructions" in relation to those proposals, and did
that letter contain a proposal headed "confidentiality",
which stated "Except as agreed, there is to be no
publication by either party of the settlement or its
terms."?

5. TAITO PHILLIP FIELD to the Minister of
Social Services and Employment: What steps is the Government
taking to ensure the promotion of the rights of children and
to monitor compliance with the United Nations Convention on
the Rights of the Child?

6. Hon BILL ENGLISH to the
Minister of Revenue: What new taxes are under consideration
by the Government?

7. JOE HAWKE to the Minister for
Sport, Fitness and Leisure: What progress has been made on
the recommendations made to the Government by the
ministerial taskforce into sport, fitness and leisure?

8. KEVIN CAMPBELL to the Minister of Corrections: What
reports has he received about ways to turn people away from
a life of crime and reduce reoffending?

9. GERRY
BROWNLEE to the Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary
Education): Does he intend to recommend changes to the way
the Government funds students attending private training
establishments?

10. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime
Minister: Is it her position that Mr Yelash himself, or
through his lawyers, demanded that the final agreement be
confidential?

11. Dr LYNDA SCOTT to the Minister of
Health: What is her response to comments from the Nelson
Marlborough District Health Board deputy chairman that the
board faces a funding cut in real terms of up to 4.5 percent
and that the lack of Government funding was "a dilemma"
which could cause a drop in already stretched hospital
staffing levels?

12. ROD DONALD to the Minister of
Conservation: On what grounds could the Government justify
permitting 260 hectares of indigenous forest to be removed
from the wildlife corridor in the Victoria Forest Park in
Westland, in order for a 300 metre deep open cast pit to be
dug and large tailings impoundments to be built, when only
last year the Government ended logging on Crown owned land
on the West Coast to protect conservation
values?

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